This news has put a smile on my face that is sure to make me look like a bad Joker impersonator.
One of my favorite action films of the last few years, it even made my top 10, was Pierre Morel’s Banlieue 13 which featured a style of action very new to me at the time, referred to as parkour. I’m sure this wasn’t the first film to use this action style, though I’m willing to guess that no film before it had used it to this extent, but it’s since made appearances in all sorts of places including an appearance by the film’s very own Cyril Raffaelli strutting his stuff against Bruce Willis in Live Free or Die Hard.
Now our good friends at Twitch have uncovered news that a sequel is in the works and as expected, it’s being penned by my Favorite French Dude. Morel won’t be back to direct, he’s too busy taking care of business in his upcoming film Taken so replacing him is Patrick Alessandrin who’s apparently directed some French comedies. Also no word yet if either Farraelli or David Belle will be making appearances.
To be honest, I don’t really care either way as long as they follow the set-up of the first: little talking and maximum ass-kickery. We’ll be sure to keep you posted when a trailer hits the web. In the meantime, be sure to take a peek at the trailer for the first film after the jump. This is bound to sell the skeptics and if you have seen it, serve as a nice reminder of the greatness that was Banlieue 13.
Oh I’m excited for this one too Marina. Sometimes I like the shallow, fun entertainment, there’s nothing wrong with that, and this delivered plenty of it.
There was a lot of fun had watching how they setup the stunts and weaved them into the story so we weren’t being dragged out of the story and action for a thinly veiled stunt setup.
Plus the characters were kind of attractive too…oh yes, not just in that way Marina!
Bring on the sequel! That movie was a lot of fun, with some great action sequences of constant movement.
Its amazing how the art of parkour formally started out by David Belle and just a couple of his friends in France a few years back and from a online video, it got attracted by the media and now it spread to all over the world with many active groups, ala Fight Club style. There is even a video game coming out on parkour and New Line is also making a parkour film for release in 2009.
BTW, keep a look out for a parkour scene in Babylon AD. I think David Belle is in it.
The latest Spider man comic has a parkour villain in it. Sheesh.
I suppose the sequel has no where to go but up from the disastrous original.
Sweet….thanks for the heads up on that one Al. I remember when I watched Die Hard 4 and I spotted Raffaelli… I was beyond excited. I couldn’t remember his name but I did know who he was!
Matt – dude…parkour even showed up in the new Bond flick. And the original was far from disastrous. Agree it was no cinematic masterpiece but it was better than, and more original than, most of the action movies I’ve seen in the last few years.
The biggest problem I have with B13 is it blows its wad in the opening scene. That opening is ridiculously good, and nothing in the rest of the film matches it, let alone surpasses it. That said, it’s the best “video game” styled movie I have ever seen. Uwe Boll should pay more attention.